If you’ve been knocking around any major airport lately, or outside a coffee shop in Dalston, or on the grass on Peckham Rye, you’ll have probably noticed something. The classic Ugg boot – everyone’s favourite knowingly basic footwear – appears to have been replaced as everyone’s new go-to, right under our noses. And no I’m not talking about the return of Birkenstock clogs. I’m talking about the Ugg Tasman, the slipper version of the Ugg boot, which is even easier to slouch and sink into than its suede bootie counterpart.
I tried to ignore the Ugg Tasman for a time. I already live in my Ugg boots, why would I need another, even more slipper-like iteration of the same thing? But the more I peeped the classic slip-on – which has always been a popular Ugg, sure, but really seems to have exploded in recent months – my head slowly but surely began to turn. With its recognisable central seam and zig-zagging pattern around the ankle, the tazz is like the Spring version of the Noughties Ugg we all know and love.
Off-duty models have been on the Tasman for a while (although you’re more likely to catch Gigi Hadid in the Tasman’s sportier iteration, the Venture Daze clogs, which are basically Tasmans but with a chunkier, grippier sole). Other than that, people probably love Tasmans for the same reason they love the OG: because they’re cosy, cute and go nicely with jeans, or a skirt and some thick socks.
“There’s something about the fact that Uggs are so absurdly casual, so cosy and so self-care inducing, that makes me want to wear them on every occasion,” British Vogue’s fashion features editor Laura Hawkins once explained of her own enduring love of the brand. “Plus, in the office, they really give off a vibe that you’re there to hunker down and get your day done.”
The move towards Tasmans makes sense when you consider the current fashion slipper wave more generally. Think: The Row’s towelled hotel slippers, from pre-fall 2024, or the shearling-lined slippers for JW Anderson’s autumn/winter 2024 collection. And lest we forget the Palace X Ugg Tasmans worn by everyone from Rihanna (above) to British Vogue’s very own Honey Sweet Elias, who is rarely spotted in the office without hers.
The regular Tasman might not be as elevated as the aforementioned, but they’re certainly just as cute. As for me? I’ll be sticking to my black pair. Also maybe classic tan. Also the “burnt cedar”, for when it’s raining.
